Themes are what make good science fiction timeless. We can always look back on Nineteen Eighty-Four and see warnings of a dystopian state, or The Time Machine for environmentally friendly messages. But Blade Runner has perhaps one of the most timeless themes of all: what does it mean to be human?
The original story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was published in 1968 and presumably in response to increasing industrialization and rise in synthetic materials. Phillip K. Dick took the concept of such things as imitation foods and tract housing then extrapolated the idea to humans. He asked, what if imitations became so good we can no longer tell the difference?
I only assume this because there were no major technological advancements or focuses at that time that could make any bit of this story feasible, and this was just kind of the concern of the era.
The Ridley Scott film however, made in 1982, sits on the cusp of the future. The personal computer has begun to boom, mankind is exploring space, and an endless sea of possibilities awaits us. Maybe the synthetic android really could happen. Maybe we really will need an expert to differentiate human from non-human. But sitting here, in 2011, I can safely say the future isn't what it used to be.
Scott's vision of the future is one of sprawling cityscapes and dominating structures of the corporations. The future is impersonal, all but the giants on the billboards are practically insignificant. Who wouldn't worry about the tiniest bit of humanity shining through in such an impersonal metropolis?
The problem is that our future is nothing like that. The leaps and bounds of our technology today only help enforce our humanity. The internet allows anyone to carve out their own personal space and let their voice be heard, free of corporations or suffocating city streets. Our smart phones keep us in contact and familiar with our friends and family, practically empathy tests on their own depending on their usage. In our future there is no fake or real dichotomy, there's just this interconnectedness that really no one could have foreseen.
So what are your thoughts? Is the question of humanity and it's potential mimicry still relevant today? Or have these issues been overshadowed by more salient topics like the internet? Or this guy?
I feel like that is something open to debate. One could make the argument that technology has actually separated us from being human. We have tweens texting each other sending hundreds of messages to their friends, who is sitting right next to them. We have become so dependent on technology that we can't seem to stay away from it. We have cars that have built in Facebook technology that would allow us to hear if there are any updates on our Facebook pages. We have families where each person is too busy either playing video games, watching television, or on their computer, etc. We are robots dependent on technology. If there ever is a huge internet blow-out, all hell would break loose!! One could argue, that are more separated than before.
ReplyDeleteBut I must say technology is changing everything that we do and even our laws. New laws are being passed because of the technology we have, which used to be free, but is now being regulated because of cyber-bullying, sexting, etc.
In other words, our lives are moving to the online world wide web. It's kind of a scary thought if you think about it.
So I guess the question is one that is mentioned earlier: What does it mean to be human? And what defines humanity in our technology advanced world?
And speaking of, it's funny how in Blade Runner, the only ones that showed emotion are the replicants themselves.